By Francis Tim Mbom
The Social Democratic Front, SDF party has proposed that the Independent Electoral Commission to-be should be made up of nine members with their President elected unanimously by all the members. The 2nd Vice National Chairman of the SDF, Joshua Nambangi Osih, made the revelation to the press last week in Limbe.
Osih was speaking November 29 in a press dinner to brief the press and the public on what transpired between the party Chairman, Ni John Fru Ndi and Prime Minister, Chief Ephraim Inoni, during the just ended consultations in view of creating an independent electoral body that will replace the National Elections Observatory, NEO.
The 2nd National Vice Chair of the SDF said that he was in Yaounde with his National Chair who presented the party's proposals to the PM. As to the calibre of persons to make up the SDF proposed nine-man team, Osih said their preference was for four retired judges, three clergymen or women (a catholic, a protestant and a Moslem) an elected member from the Bar Council and one other.
As to the SDF's choice of retired judges, Osih said they think retired judges who have served the state would likely have nothing again to fear and trying to doctor the results of the elections in favour of the paymasters in a bid to protect their jobs.
As to the response of the PM, Osih said there were hopes that the Independent Electoral body will this time around see the light of day, if the PM does not shift from his assurances in the consultations that ended on Tuesday, November 28. Osih said the PM promised sending the final package of the proposals in a bill to Parliament by December 1 for scrutiny. If Parliament finally passes the bill into law, then, an independent electoral body will be in place soon before the expected polls of 2007.
Cameroon May Disintegrate If…
Osih, who doubles as the Southwest Provincial Chair of the SDF, said that Cameroon risks disentegrating into warring factions if the government, again, fails to respond to the aspirations of the majority of Cameroonians. "The people of Cameroon including the SDF, the Episcopal Conference of the Bishops of Cameroon, have told the President that if we do not have an independent electoral commission to organise free and fair elections, Cameroon might disintegrate," he said.
Osih said that the government's back was already on the wall and it is apparently left with no other choice but to let be an independent electoral body. But the commission, Osih said, will, however, need to have full financial and administrative autonomy.
"It does not need to report to any Minister or any Prime Minister and it would not as well need to ask for money from any body. Parliament will have to assign to it a budget for its functioning," he said.
On the fears that the members may become corrupted, Osih said if the commission would have its full financial autonomy, then there is no need to fear. He cited the case of Nigeria that is ranked among the most corrupt countries like Cameroon, but said their independent electoral body succeeded to organise a free and fair elections without any smears of corruption.
The Commission & Existing Laws
One of the worries of Cameroonians has been the law governing elections in Cameroon. For instance, the fact that results have to be declared after a long period of 21 days unlike in every other country where democratic elections do take place. "We are very concerned, that is why we tabled a private members bill sometime ago in Parliament to redress this situation by putting in place a truly fair, independent and autonomous electoral body," Osih said.
"If election results are obtained in other countries two hours after the polls close," Osih added," it is because their independent electoral bodies have the means to do so."
NEC Meeting In Limbe
Osih announced that NEC will finally hold its planned meeting in Limbe on December 9. The meeting was suspended some months back following an order that had been issued by the Limbe DO, Peter Mbongo Itoe, citing security reasons.
Osih said that Fru Ndi will further explain to the public what discussions he had with the PM. He said that the party's stance will also be known by this date if by then the government would not have tabled the bill in Parliament as the PM has promised.
The Muna Palaver
Talking about the Muna and Ngwasiri issue, Osih said the SDF has emerged from the ashes stronger than ever before.
Asked if the SDF was ready for any compromise with the Muna, Osih dismissed any thing of a compromise. He said they were ready to talk with the Muna only if they realise their fallacies and come back repentant.
Comparatively he said the Muna clique were bound to crash for they were a mere bunch of 24 individuals, pitted against the mass of the party. According to Osih, Muna and Ngwasiri have merely been scheming to reap some financial dividends from their "unsuspecting" financiers.
I have always hear the SDF during my heydays in La Republique arguing that they cannot go for elections without an IEC. But i have always been embarassed for the fact that they dont only accept to go for elections without an IEC, even when these elections are rigged, they prefer to legitimise Mr Biya's junta through their participation in their parliament where they know they cannot bring any positive changes.
I am not quite sure if the IEC will be of any help to the SDF. I understand they have been trying to govern La Republique Du Cameroun. I wish them well, but giving the political and operational dynamics of La Republique francaise du Cameroun, the SDF cannot win elections in La Republique du Cameroun with or without an independent electoral commision.
They have only been legitimising Mr Biya's colonial empire through their habitual handclapping in the CPDM parliament. In fact, all those who are there are merely interested in their financial rewards. If they were truly interested in playing any role as an opposition, they would have refused going to these parliament. Nonetheless, since i left them, i have always wished them well.
Posted by: rexon | Monday, 04 December 2006 at 06:34 PM
Hahahaha Rexon,
You are making laughing out my lungs here.You rightly said that the SDF parliamentarians are more of handclappers than resolution and lawmakers.It's a pity that their agenda today is to follow what the CPDM says.Their electoral dreams will be cut short when Biya uses his empowerment and ordeal of election fraud as usual to win the battle.Be it the the creation of an IEC or not the Biya's regime has been bent on making sure that the SDF remains the number 2 party in Cameroon never the first.Never ever.Some people take views here for bais or whatever but realities in the political arena in cameroon can prove that the SDF is just there in the name of political parties and nothing else.
Fritzane Kiki
Hong Kong
Posted by: Fritzane Kiki HK | Wednesday, 06 December 2006 at 09:44 PM
Fritzane Kiki,
There you go again..What do you expect the sdf to do? Now that your messiah and sellout like the Muna has been deceived and dumped by the regime what else can you say? Talk about the authentic sdf? Muna Iscariot? Subjectively criticise the sdf? .Where are the members of your crew? They have disappeared from the forum just like their messiah is disappearing from the political scene in Cameroon.Do not be tired but continue to play his drum.With no political base and with nobody to turn to your messiah Muna has gone into oblivion.Fru Ndi and his group were at least invited to give their opinion on how the IEC should look like.The disgraced and shameless political culprit call Muna should be brazing for another court case because Fru Ndi and not him was invited for the recent political consultation. I hope this time around instead of taking the sdf to court he will be taking Biya for having successfully used and dumped him.When shall Muna and your likes learn? If he thought he will succeed like the father did when he split the Kndp then he made the mistake of his life.I hope you and other political nonentities are begining to learn and know that there is no political leader in Cameroon that can match Fru Ndi's charisma.By indulging in the devil's mission to destroy the sdf Muna and your crew proved to the world that you have refused to learn from history. May I remind you that those who refused to learn from the past live to repeat the same mistakes.
Posted by: knganjo | Thursday, 07 December 2006 at 12:14 PM
Fritzane Kiki,
There you go again..What do you expect the sdf to do? Now that your messiah and sellout like the Muna has been deceived and dumped by the regime what else can you say? Talk about the authentic sdf? Muna Iscariot? Subjectively criticise the sdf? .Where are the members of your crew? They have disappeared from the forum just like their messiah is disappearing from the political scene in Cameroon.Do not be tired but continue to play his drum.With no political base and with nobody to turn to your messiah Muna has gone into oblivion.Fru Ndi and his group were at least invited to give their opinion on how the IEC should look like.The disgraced and shameless political culprit call Muna should be brazing for another court case because Fru Ndi and not him was invited for the recent political consultation. I hope this time around instead of taking the sdf to court he will be taking Biya for having successfully used and dumped him.When shall Muna and your likes learn? If he thought he will succeed like the father did when he split the Kndp then he made the mistake of his life.I hope you and other political nonentities are begining to learn and know that there is no political leader in Cameroon that can match Fru Ndi's charisma.By indulging in the devil's mission to destroy the sdf Muna and your crew proved to the world that you have refused to learn from history. May I remind you that those who refused to learn from the past live to repeat the same mistakes.
Posted by: knganjo | Thursday, 07 December 2006 at 12:15 PM
Mr. Fritz,
You can bear with me that your statement "SDF is just there in the name of political parties and nothing else" is a grave overstatement.
You should be able to appreciate what the SDF is doing despite the odds it faces everyday from the CPDM.
You should also be aware of the fact that in CamerOUn today, is one were to genuinely rank political parties, SDF of NJFN will come first, CDU of ANN will come second and the CPDM and the rest can come n any order.
Posted by: ADAMA KWIKEH | Thursday, 07 December 2006 at 12:47 PM